Can my child leave Australia while their subclass 802 application is being processed in 2026?
Yes — a child can leave Australia while their Child visa (subclass 802) application is being processed, but there are two conditions attached. You must tell the Department of Home Affairs that the child needs to travel, and the child must be back in Australia when the Department makes its decision. As of August 2026, the Child visa (subclass 802) page on the Department of Home Affairs website states both rules plainly: notify the Department of travel during processing, and make sure the child holds a valid visa to return. This article is general information only and is not personalised advice for your child's circumstances, so check the official page or a registered migration agent or legal practitioner before booking tickets.
What exactly does the Home Affairs page say about travelling during processing?
The official step-by-step guide has a short "Travel" section under the "After applying" step. It says: tell the Department if the child needs to travel outside Australia while the application is processed, because the child must be in Australia when the decision is made. It adds that if you leave Australia, the child needs a valid visa to return.
That is the whole of the published rule. There is no ban on travel during processing, and there is no published rule saying a trip cancels or restarts the application. The binding requirement is about the moment of decision, not the whole waiting period.
Why does being outside Australia at decision time matter so much?
Because the location requirement is a condition of the visa itself, not a procedural preference. The official page's "Apply from" section says the child must be in Australia, but not in immigration clearance, both when the application is submitted and when the Department makes a decision. The same requirement sits in clause 802.411 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994.
So if the child is overseas when a case officer is ready to decide, the decision cannot be made in the child's favour. The practical risk is not a penalty — it is a stalled file, or a refusal made on the basis that a required condition is not met.
| Where the child is | What the Department can do |
|---|---|
| In Australia, not in immigration clearance | Decision can be made and visa granted |
| Outside Australia | Location condition not satisfied; decision cannot be granted at that point |
| At an Australian airport in immigration clearance | Does not count as being "in Australia" for this requirement |
How do you tell the Department about the travel?
The Department does not publish a dedicated travel-notification form for this visa. The notification channels described on the official page are:
- ImmiAccount. After a paper application is lodged, you can import it into ImmiAccount using the application ID, the child's date of birth and their passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage number. Once imported, you can update the child's details, attach documents and view messages through online services.
- The Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form. If you cannot use ImmiAccount, this is the published route for sending additional documents and forms.
- The change-in-situation process. The official page lists changes you must report, including changes to the child's phone number, address or passport, relationship status changes, and the birth of a child. Travel plans sit alongside these as something to raise through the same channels rather than a separate product.
For paper applicants, Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers) is the published mechanism if something already submitted turns out to be wrong, and Form 956A covers who receives correspondence.
Assume a parent lodges by post in Perth and later needs to take the child overseas for a family matter. The order of operations that follows from the official page is: confirm the child's return visa will still be valid on the travel dates, notify the Department through ImmiAccount or the processing centre form, and time the return so the child is onshore well before any decision could be made.
What visa does the child need to come back?
The Department's wording is simply that the child must have a valid visa to return. The subclass 802 is an onshore permanent visa, so it cannot be used to re-enter before it is granted.
The bridging visa granted with the application is the usual mechanism for staying lawful onshore. On the official page: when the application was made, the child was granted a bridging visa associated with it; if their current substantive visa expires before a decision, the bridging visa starts and the child can remain in Australia while the application is processed. This is the piece to check carefully before departure, because the visa the child holds on return determines whether re-entry is possible at all.
Does leaving Australia change anything else in the application?
The official page does not say travel pauses or invalidates an application. What it does list as things that slow processing or cause problems are: an incorrectly filled application, missing documents or requests for more information, time taken to verify information, and not paying the correct visa application charge at lodgement. The Department also says it will not process an application if the correct charge is not paid, and may return it.
Health exams and biometrics are handled separately — the Department tells you when to arrange them. If a health examination window or a biometrics request is open, travel dates need to fit around it, since those requests come with their own instructions.
What happens to travel after the visa is granted?
Once granted, the picture changes. The child becomes a permanent resident on the day of grant and can travel to and from Australia as many times as they want for 5 years from the grant date, as long as that travel facility remains valid. The grant is digitally linked to the passport — no label is issued. VEVO is the published tool for checking when the travel facility ends.
After the initial 5-year facility, the child would need a Resident Return visa (subclasses 155 and 157) to re-enter as a permanent resident, or Australian citizenship, which removes the need for a visa to return.
Timing the trip
The Department publishes a global visa processing times tool showing times for recently decided applications, described as a guide only and not specific to any one application. It also says you should receive an acknowledgement of the application, including advice of any associated bridging visa, within approximately one month of lodgement, and that it will contact you if it needs more information rather than giving progress updates inside normal processing times.
That combination is what makes travel risky rather than prohibited: there is no reliable way to predict the decision date, so a trip taken late in a long wait carries more risk than one taken early. The general limits and fees published on the official page can change, so treat the current Home Affairs page as the authority on what applies now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my child leave Australia while the 802 application is being processed?
Yes. The Department of Home Affairs does not prohibit travel during processing; it asks you to tell it about the travel. The requirement that cannot be waived is that the child is in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, at the moment the decision is made.
What happens if the child is overseas when the decision is ready?
The location condition is not met, so the visa cannot be granted at that point. The published requirement is that the child is in Australia both when the application is lodged and when it is decided.
Do I need to notify Home Affairs before the child travels?
Yes — the official guidance says to tell the Department if the child needs to travel outside Australia during processing, precisely because of the onshore decision requirement. ImmiAccount and the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form are the published channels.
Will the child be able to get back into Australia?
Only with a valid visa. The subclass 802 cannot be used to re-enter before grant, so check the bridging visa or other return visa before departure.
Does travelling delay or cancel the 802 application?
The official page does not say travel delays or cancels an application. It lists other causes of delay, such as incomplete forms, missing documents, verification time and unpaid charges.
How long can the child travel after the 802 visa is granted?
Five years from the date of grant, as many times as they wish, provided the travel facility remains valid. After that, a Resident Return visa or Australian citizenship is needed to re-enter.